diligence

¹ American  

[dil-i-juhns] / ˈdɪl ɪ dʒəns /

noun

1. constant and earnest effort to accomplish what is undertaken; persistent exertion of body or mind.

2. Law. the degree of care and caution required by the circumstances of a person.

3. Obsolete. care; caution.

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diligence ² American  

[dil-i-juhns, dee-lee-zhahns] / ˈdɪl ɪ dʒəns, di liˈʒɑ̃s /

noun

diligences plural

1. a public stagecoach, especially as formerly used in France.

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diligence ¹ British  

/ ˈdɪlɪdʒəns /

noun

1. steady and careful application

2. proper attention or care

3. law the degree of care required in a given situation

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diligence ² British  

/ diliʒɑ̃s, ˈdɪlɪdʒəns /

noun

1. history a stagecoach

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• diligences
  plural

Etymology

Origin of diligence¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English deligence, from Anglo-French, from Latin dīligentia, equivalent to dīligent- (stem of dīligēns ) diligent ( def. ) + -ia; see -ence ( def. )

Origin of diligence²

First recorded in 1735–45; short for French carosse de diligence “speed coach”

Explanation

If you practice diligence, you are a hard and careful worker. Do you have the diligence to read all the collected works of Henry James? Of course not. Nobody has, but a couple of his early novels won't hurt. Here's a tip: never buy anything big, like a house or a car or a boat, without first exercising what lawyers call "due diligence" — that is, a real degree of care and attention and effort, not to mention a close reading of the small print. Diligence may help you realize the Brooklyn Bridge is not actually yours to buy, or that your potential neighbor has 112 cats living next door.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

diligence diligences

It takes a certain kind of person to tackle end-of-life decision-making with clarity and diligence.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026

“Since it’s the first movie to capture the whole thing in 70mm Imax, it’s my due diligence to see it like that.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026

As many of them see it, a failure by the parliamentary commissioner for standards to come down hard on Farage would make a mockery of plenty of other MPs' diligence.

From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026

And these furtive ads are so prevalent that mere diligence in scrolling or brush-ups on digital literacy aren’t sufficient solutions.

From Slate ● Jun. 27, 2026

Outside under the window were some carts and an old diligence, the wood of the roof cracked and split by the weather.

From "The Sun Also Rises" by Ernest Hemingway

One of the due diligences will include on the safety culture in Newcrest mines, the company said.

From Reuters ● Apr. 27, 2023

The public diligences are few in number, and most miserably managed.

From Travels in France during the years 1814-15 Comprising a residence at Paris, during the stay of the allied armies, and at Aix, at the period of the landing of Bonaparte, in two volumes. by Alison, Archibald, Sir

The conductor was telling stories about diligences that had been robbed.

From Rollo in Geneva by Abbott, Jacob

This we were obliged to do, as there are no diligences or public conveyances of any description to Chamonix.

From An Impromptu Ascent of Mont Blanc by Mesurier, W. H. le

Think of nights spent in diligences or in horrid inns, and long walks and drives to see the pretended beauties or wonders of a country.

From The Seven Cardinal Sins: Envy and Indolence by Sue, Eug?ne

Related Words

• alertness
• earnestness
• intensity
• quickness
• vigor